1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driver-assistance vehicle which allows a driver to distribute his attention to several areas while driving.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, while driving a vehicle, the driver must pay attention not only to his front area but also to surrounding areas. Specifically, the driver needs to distribute his attention to several areas appropriately in response to the action of the vehicle. To demonstrate, when trying to turn left at an intersection, the driver is required to pay attention to other vehicles approaching behind the left side and pedestrians walking across the intersection. Moreover, when trying to change lane, the driver needs to sufficiently pay attention to other vehicles on the lane which the vehicle will enter, mostly vehicles within his blind space.
Accordingly, when changing direction or lane, it is preferable that the driver surely checks the state on the road while facing in the direction where the vehicle will head, rather than glances on the road. However, some drivers, mostly beginner drivers intend to neglect this check.
Conventionally, in order to assist a driver in distributing his attention, a system disclosed by Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2004-178367 has been presented. This system determines a preferable area for paying attention, based on its surroundings. Subsequently, the system senses the location where the driver currently pays attention. Finally, the system informs the driver if the determined area and the sensed location differ.
While this system employs an advanced sensing process technique, it does not specify a way to inform a driver clearly. Take this disadvantage into account, the present invention has been conceived. An object of the present invention is to provide a driver-assistance vehicle with a simple structure which assists a driver in distributing his attention by attracting his awareness.